Quid est deus? Mens universi.
Quid est deus? Quod vides totum et quod non vides totum?
Seneca, Natural Questions
How strange is the lot of us mortals, Albert Einstein exclaims in his essay The World As I See It. Einstein based this assessment upon his interpretation of the universe, of mans placement in it, and of gods role and power over it. Though Einsteins fame rests upon his reputation as a scientist, he often explained how his scientific desire was motivated by a profound, unorthodox religiosity. The relationships between his scientific pursuits and his religious beliefs are interesting; the knowledge of the ways these forces interacted is also fundamental for understanding his approach to the world. Einstein often gave lectures in which he outlined clear definitions of both science and religion and then proceeded to explain how the two fields could be reconciled without one superceding or transgressing upon the other. Inherent in these philosophies is Einsteins conception of god as an inactive, divine system of order. Einsteins god demanded no faithfulness, but Einstein himself continued to assert that morality should guide the decisions of mankind. Though the response to these beliefs was both enthusiastic and unaccepting, the latter view has prevailed in stripping Einstein of the religion which molded his intellect. The study of Einsteins religiosity remains important, however, because his beliefs convey his perception of the world, reveal his personal reaction to the often atheistic forces of science, confirm his hope in humanity, and amplify his legacy.
Einsteins definition of science reflects the popular perception
of the pursuit of knowledge but more subtly reveals his emphasis on imagination,
complete comprehension, and the necessity of religion.
Science is the century-old endeavor to bring together by means of systematic
thought the perceptible phenomena of this world into as thorough-going an
association as possible. To put it boldly, it is the attempt at the posterior
reconstruction of existence by the process of conceptualization.
(Religion 47)
Einstein was confident in sciences ability to afford new information
and knowledge, even to the extent of producing a reconstruction of
existence. Interestingly, the majority of his
definitions focus on logical thought rather than the trial-and-error process
of experiment as the proper vehicle of science.
This focus recalls Einsteins own theoretical approach to science
and accords with his avowal that the simplest explanations are usually the
most valid. However, Einstein
concludes his definitions by emphasizing the shortcomings of the scientific
process. Though it is the attempt at
the posterior reconstruction, science can never succeed in such an
aim unless it is guided by judgments beyond science. Einstein expressed
this failing as the inability to provide
the independent and fundamental definitions regarding goals and values
(54). Though Einstein revolutionized science and the conception of nature,
his estimations of science itself depict it as merely a means of gathering
facts and suggest religion as a means of interpreting that knowledge.
Einstein defines religion as the philosophical ordering and application
of science so that it accords with the interests of humanity; this broader
conception, or cosmic religion, is the highest of Einsteins three
types of religion. Once knowledge
and thinking have suggested intermediate courses of action, then to
make clear these fundamental ends and valuations, and to set them fast in the emotional life of the individual, seems to [Einstein] precisely the most important function which religion has to perform in the social life of man. (45)
For Einstein, though his discoveries possessed inherent value, the organization
applied by religion had more enduring value.
Moreover, the mystery of religion is the motivation for science;
it is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art
and true science (11). Religion in this sense is the primogenitor
and shaper of all science; however, as scientific knowledge grows, it in
turn changes religions of fear into cosmic religions.
Before science was born, the lack of knowledge could only be organized
into a religion of fear in which events were controlled by supernatural
forces. Then, Einstein believed, as men collected themselves into societies,
the bonds of love were deified to ensure a permanent source of comfort.
This second step is the social or moral conception of god (40).
As science progresses further, the new understanding results in what
Einstein considered the apex of religiosity.
He characterized the follower of his cosmic religion as one who feels
the futility of human desires and wants to experience the universe
as a single significant whole (41). The liberation from selfish desires
and the interest in community and world relates to science through the progress
of discovery and interpretation. Moreover, the tenets of cosmic religion
are analogous with Einsteins theoretical practices; he shunned traditional
experiments in favor of more comprehensive Gedanken experiments just as
his religion transcends the individual to reach a supernatural unity. The
interpretative abilities of religion work together with scientific processes
to continually reform mans relation to himself and to the universe,
and this interrelation is the union of science and religion.
Einstein resolved the conflicts between religion and science by explaining
the two fields precise interaction. This reconciliation functions by
exploiting the inabilities of each field and using the one to complete the
other. Science only addresses facts and
their relations to other facts; religion only addresses evaluations
of human thought and action (48).
With these boundaries defined, Einstein explains his understanding
of their interaction. Religion determines the goal
but learns what means will contribute to the attainment from
science. Moreover, scientists are inbred
with the aspiration toward truth and understanding, which results
from religion. Einstein summarizes this coexistence
by writing that science without religion is lame, religion without
science is blind (49). Einsteins
idea of religion is iconoclastic because it focuses solely on the feelings
of mystery and human concerns and eliminates divine interaction. Yet, the religious innovations become more comprehensible
when one realizes their scientific sources. The allure of mystery continually
motivated Einsteins efforts: his childhood compass was enchanting,
he rejected the rigidity of his education because it quelled exploration,
and his mature efforts focused on revolutionizing physics rather than perfecting
the understanding of subjects already well explained. The effects of human
concerns on Einstein are equally obvious in his vociferous anti-war efforts.
Even his suggestion of the atomic bomb is rationalized by these doctrines
because Einstein must have felt that Americas development of such
a weapon would prevent it from being created by scientists without such
feelings of religion. Einsteins
religion consisted of an admiration for the unknown and, in that sense,
inspired his science; moreover, as his work progressed, religion functioned
to provide moral guidelines for his decisions.
Despite this harmony, Einstein imposed clear boundaries on science and
religion, which further describe his beliefs and their unconventionality.
Having explained the relations between these fields, Einstein states that
any conflicts are the result of infringement. He believed that science cannot
explain what should be and religion cannot explain what is.
Conflict results from a clash between the science of an advanced
but materialistic age and a religion maintaining its mythical beliefs. Einstein
supports making science moral and divesting religion of its mythos. He supports
his idea by explaining that the moral nature of the major religions is essentially
the same and that the discarded myths can be replaced by the factual knowledge
of science. The evidence that
Einstein himself followed these doctrines of separation is less obvious,
but they do exist and affirm the idea that the balance between science and
religion was the guiding force in Einsteins life. Einstein never practiced any formal
religious worship. When he
was offered the presidency of Israel, he declined because among other reasons,
he did not wish to join Jewish tradition with his cosmic religion. Finally, after the acceptance of
relativity and Heisenbergs uncertainty principle, many groups attempted
to use these scientific principles to form moral standards for new lifestyles
or to prove the possibility of miracles
(Jammer 88-9). In each
case, Einstein rejected the claims because they blurred his separation of
religion and science. This differentiation further reveals
that Einstein was unwilling to base morality on science but that he used
science to refine his religious beliefs.
Einsteins conception of god further elucidates the manner in which
he viewed the world and the way in which he deified the ordered manifestation
of science. Understanding Einsteins
god begins with his belief that the aforementioned religion does not rely
on an attempt to unite this content with a divine Being (Religion
48). Indeed, Einstein says, I cannot conceive of a god who rewards
and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience
in ourselves (12). In
order to express his understanding, Einstein unites science and religion
and says, I am satisfied with . . . the marvelous structure of the
existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion
. . . of the reason that manifests itself in nature (12). Waxing philosophical,
he asserts that an omnipotent god would eliminate free will, and therefore
his judgments would be passed against himself (50).
Before explaining the explicitly scientific facets of Einsteins
god, it is already apparent that Einstein perceives the world as a closed
system and knowledge of god as understanding of the inherent order. The
focus of science is a rational unification of the manifold;
this oneness is then explained as the grandeur of reason incarnate
in existence (52-3). Movement
in this direction, Einstein believes, results from purification of religion through
science. In addressing a Japanese scholar, Einstein elaborated, This
firm belief . . . in a superior mind that reveals itself in the world of
experience, represents my conception of God (Scientific
286). Understanding this conception
provides a powerful point of view for interpreting Einsteins approach
to science. He felt a profound
admiration toward the unknown, but he was unable to believe in anything
beyond science; therefore, he sublimated his religious wonder into awe at
the universe itself and allowed that awe to motivate his work. Einstein
often wrote that all great science results from religiosity like his own,
which was to say that profound science results from a profound love of science;
nevertheless, Einstein always emphasized the need for an ethical system
because he wanted mankind to attain an order like the universes.
Einsteins conception of god leads to a largely existential situation,
and his solution is to cultivate the ethical elements inherent in humanity
into sympathetic reactions. Religions role becomes an
effort to define a system of morality that does not depend on a personal
god. The removal of god as a supreme
being immediately conveys the rigorous, unbending science of Einsteins
ethical system. For the kind
of doubt that leads to unbelief is that which refuses to grant anything
beyond the human, the reasonable, and the comprehensible.
Consequently, Einsteins belief that the universe is comprehensible
forced him to doubt the existence of a deity.
Logically, the procedure for defining Einsteins morality then
begins with understanding humanity scientifically and holistically. The concept of humanity in some
sense replaces a divine being because unsuperstitious religion bases its
ethics upon a sympathetic feeling in joy and in sorrow (Religion
58). Such a foundation reflects the scientific
emphases because it requires that mankind react to events in a predictable
and generalized manner. Einstein
believed that the unison of feeling would be guided by the Good, the
True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself (52).
Then, rather than working to spread a religious doctrine, religion
functions to cultivate and implement this shared, instinctual morality. This system seems feasible for interaction,
but, since Einstein has removed the personal god as a source of hope and
fear, it hardly recognizes individuality.
The relegation of case to rule fits with a scientific process and
reflects Einsteins own interest in humanity rather than in human beings. Indeed, to offer salvation to humanity
through ethical culture was Einsteins only concern; the
loss of individual faith ought to be replaced by science and a realization
of common humanity. Einsteins
ethical system of morality without faith developed from his scientific ideals
and offers the ability to implement a set of shared emotions and dogmas,
but it neglects the importance of personal faith in divinity.
The purely cosmic and universal content of Einsteins publications
on religion elicited much attention but are hardly included in the mythos
that has evolved around the scientist. Many not only rejected the aforementioned
diminution of the individual but also accused Einstein of completely eliminating
any concept of personal sin in favor of this ethical culture (Jammer 81).
The conception of god as some pantheistic force evoked much response
too. Dr. Fulton Sheen mocked Einstein by asking if anyone
would ever lay down his life for the Milky Way, and concluded, There
is only one fault with his cosmical religion: he put an extra letter in
the word the letter s (82).
Despite these heated protests and controversies, Einsteins
religious ideas are seldom associated with the image of this scientist.
Though he attempted to unite science and religion, the publics
ignorance of his efforts seems to establish their essential incompatibility,
especially when a person tries to mold one to fit the other. The supreme irony, however, rests
in Einsteins own metamorphosis into a public demigod or muse of science. Einsteins strong beliefs have
maintained little momentum because they were primarily the outgrowth of
his science rather than original thought, and, though untraditional like
his science, they offered no evidence of truth and eventually fell away.
Einstein, nevertheless, always felt the need to explore religion because
he felt so profoundly moved by science.
He defined science and religion as complementary fields, and he proposed
a cooperative union in which science offered facts for religious interpretation. Within this system order manifested itself in everything,
and its majesty became Einsteins god.
However, without the personal aspects of faith, his religion, though
providing guidance for humanity, was rejected by individuals and finally
by posterity. Nevertheless, the intense religious
fervor with which Einstein approached science explains much of his success
and confirms his position as one who deeply loved the world and the order
thereof.
Einstein, Albert. About
Religion. Ideas and Opinions.
Ed. Carl Seelig. New York:
Modern Library, 1994. 39-57.
- - -. On Scientific Truth. Ideas and Opinions. Ed. Carl Seelig. New York:
Modern Library, 1994. 286.
Jammer, Max. Einsteins
Philosophy of Religion. Einstein
and Religion. Princeton:
Princeton UP, 1999. 65-151.
Seneca. Natural Questions.
Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1970.